Portière
Attributed to Bruce J. Talbert British, Scottish
Manufacturer James Templeton & Company British, Scottish, American
Not on view
This portière is an example of the popular woven wool hangings that were produced by the J & S Templeton firm in Glasgow from the 1860s; these were considered innovative technical tours de force for their successful weaving of such a large and complicated pattern in one piece. Talbert had a fruitful collaboration with Templeton, and his eclectic design takes full advantage of the jacquard weaving capabilities. Not only does the pattern change over the length of the curtain, the thread choices and structure are also skillfully employed to augment the complexity of the design and subtly emphasize certain motifs. To date, a design drawing for this portère has not been discovered.
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